3DS & DS Lite size

As with every console be it handheld or home console, there's always tons of MISinformation floating around about it before it's released. It's laughable all the misinformation & wrong facts that can be found about the PSP back in 2005. Even sites like IGN proliferated wrong info... these sites should know better.

So one of the wrong "facts" about the 3DS people are assuming is that because the screens have higher resolution than the previous DS iterations, that the 3DS screens are actually physically larger than them also (aside from the DSiXL series of course)

But a Wikipedia check of the stats points out:

screen size:

3DS - (top screen) - 3.53 in (90 mm) effectively 400 × 240
(bottom screen) - 3.02 in (77 mm), 320 × 240


DS Lite - 3.0 in (76 mm), 256 × 192 px


I bold the pertinent point-- the bottom 3DS screen is only 1mm larger than the DS Lite screens. Yes, the top screen is wider obviously, but it doesn't look taller, it may in fact be smaller from top to bottom because of the 16 x 9 proportion... which this side-by-side pic I found bears out:



So the 3DS will offer a fuzzier image of DS games on its screens.. but the actual screen image will be the same size. A lot of people seem to be ok with fuzzy images because they think they're getting a bigger screen out of the deal when they aren't. It's like accepting that a standard-def image shown on a big screen TV will be fuzzier. Except what if you're getting a SAME size screen TV that shows a fuzzier image than one you're used to seeing?



At this point I have no idea how DS games look on the 3DS, but I'm preparing myself to accept they may not look as good as on my DS lite. But it's not like my DS Lite immediately stops working the minute I bring a 3DS home-- it better not-- 'cause I *love* my DS Lite......

I'm starting to think that even though the 3DS looks like a DS with more added into it..... it's NOT a DS. It's a DS EMULATOR when it's playing DS games. If you keep that in mind, it may keep expectations in check.

The misinformation about the 3DS size has been an advantage for me in one way though: I've been seeing a few DS Lite cases for dirt cheap... cases that will probably fit the 3DS just fine. I bought this (very faux) leather slip case for $0.96.... good thing people don't know any better otherwise they might get the same idea as me....



later
don